Ryan O'Neil, Sacred Heart School, West Brighton: New species discovered on Staten Island

Have you ever wondered if there is a cool new kind of animal on Staten Island? Well, there is a new species in New York City found in Staten Island! The new species I read about in the Staten Island Advance closely resembles the southern leopard frog, but is a new species.

The New York Times reported that it was surprising that the new species wasn't discovered earlier because the frog was living right here in one of the most populated urban areas. It is exciting news that the species has been identified on Staten Island. Rutgers University doctoral student in ecology and evolution, Jeremy Feinberg, said that the species probably inhabited New York's other boroughs in the past. Feinberg also found more of the species in New Jersey's Meadowlands and Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and Putnam and Orange counties.

The new species of frog has not been named yet, so it will be interesting to find it a name. In my science class, we are learning about ecosystems and this article helped me to think about the new species and its habitat. The article really inspired me to read more about frogs and ecosystems. I had a very good experience and fun learning about this new kind of species and hope other students will, too.

Ryan wrote his essay after reading about this new species of frog, found in the Bloomfield section of Staten Island, in the Advance. The story appeared in the News section and was published on March 15.